["Nemesis" playing]
[music ends]
[gasps]
[breathing shakily]
[desk officer] How old was the boy?
[officer 1] Just turned nine.
[desk officer] Jesus.
[door opens]
[officer 2] Is this your daddy?
And he was driving?
[cell phone buzzing]
- [sighing] - [buzzing continues]
[knocking on door]
[Cory] Bradley?
Bradley!
Hey, I-- Listen, I completely understand why you'd be upset with me.
- Go away. - I've got a lot of explaining to do.
Paul was behind this.
Please just leave me alone, Cory.
Paul was behind this. Can you just let me in so we can talk about it?
Cory, Paul knows. He fucking knows.
[exhales sharply]
How?
How does he know? Bradley.
[cries] I don't know.
Go away, please. I'm being serious. Please-- [sobs]
Please, just leave me alone.
[line ringing]
[Bradley] You've reached Bradley Jackson. Leave a message.
- [beeps] - Come on.
[sighs]
[groans]
Oh, my God.
[Paul] Hey.
[Alex] Hey.
I'm assuming you saw this broadcast.
[Alex] I did. [sighs] I did and this--
- [groans] - I just saw this article on Cory.
Yeah. [sighs] Well, I mean, he had to be shut down.
It's not like he could blow up the deal, but like you said,
I'm sure he sure as shit would've tried.
You planted this article?
I gave them information.
Oh, my God, Paul. Cory is a lot of things, but a sexual predator?
I mean, honestly, why didn't you talk to me about this?
We don't do this.
I didn't want you to get your hands dirty.
This is not just bad for Cory. This is terrible for Bradley.
She just resigned.
Okay.
[sighs]
That article is not why she resigned. [sighs]
Well, then what--
Okay.
I just spoke to Gayle.
She said that she saw you go into Bradley's dressing room
right before she went on air, so you--
Just tell me what happened. What did you say to her?
A friend of mine from the FBI reached out to me. [sighs]
The Feds are considering leveling charges against Bradley and her brother.
What? Char-- What char-- What are you talking about?
Her brother assaulted a Capitol Hill police officer on January 6th,
and Bradley withheld evidence to help cover it up.
Oh, my God.
No, no, no, no, no.
Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Why didn't you--
How did you know this, and you not talk to me about this--
Alex, if this was made public, it would be a fucking disaster.
I mean, this could feed mistrust of the media.
This could blow back on you.
You're the one who brought her in.
Not a great look for someone who's trying to launch something new.
Did you tell her to resign?
I told her that I would do every single thing in my power to help.
Resigning was her idea.
And honestly, I think she felt relieved.
[sighing]
[Stella] Anybody out there? Hello?
Hello?
[gamer] Whoa, CodeQueen.
[Stella] Hey, Mel.
It's been forever.
You haven't seen SpaceCase around, have you?
[Mel] Uh, a couple months ago. She was messed up though.
Some weird shit was going down.
[Stella] What kind of weird shit?
[Mel] I don't know. You try DMing her?
I told her to go to Nevermore, fuck up some zombies.
Yeah. Yeah, I got it. Thanks. [sighs]
[Mel] Sure. See you.
We're still reeling from last night's UBA double whammy.
Top-rated evening anchor Bradley Jackson resigned on air
citing, that old chestnut, personal reasons.
Translation? Cory Ellison.
As that elevator photo makes painfully clear,
UBA's CEO got way too personal with his attractive on-air talent,
and UBA top brass dutifully announced
they've hired an independent law firm to investigate any possible misconduct.
Y'all. Really? Let me save you some billable hours.
New boss, same as the creepy old boss.
[chuckling] So, what?
I'm gonna become an asterisk right under Mitch Kessler's asterisk?
Not a rapist, but just bad enough to never work again?
We're not giving credence to a tabloid by responding to false allegations.
Are you sure?
They say every picture tells a story,
and Bradley Jackson slumped in Cory's arms like a dead dog
tells rather a lurid one, don't you think?
Let me tell you another story, Leonard.
Bradley was piss drunk that night, and I helped her up to her room.
We had grilled cheese,
and then she passed out while I watched TV in the other room.
I don't remember any sexual harassment,
but I fucking remember that grilled cheese, 'cause it was good.
So let's put out that statement and let me get back to work.
I think it's too messy, Cory.
Between that and the outing,
I think the public would never be able to get its head around it.
Look, just cooperate with the inquiry,
and in the meantime, for heaven's sake, take a leave of absence.
At least until the deal's done.
You know what? Inquire away. But I'm not going anywhere.
Brenda, if you would be so kind, I'd like a private word with Leonard.
Of course.
Leonard.
[inhales deeply] So, what do you want, Cory? [sighs]
Don't let him sell us off.
You can be the savior of legacy media.
You can be the champion of the free press.
Just convince the shareholders to vote no on the deal.
At least until we have another offer in place.
What other offers?
Who else is gonna take the company on after what you've done?
No. [stammers] Let Paul Marks sell it off, and then we're done with it. [sighs]
[line ringing]
- [Cybil] Hello? - Cybil.
- [Cybil] Cory? - Hi.
I think we could both use a friend.
Run it through legal.
We don't know, so we don't comment.
Sit on it until I get back to you.
Hey. Anyone heard from Bradley?
Uh, Bradley, yeah. She's not answering her calls or emails.
Okay, maybe I should go talk to her--
No, no. RJ went over there earlier. She wouldn't let him in.
This fucking article.
I can't even believe it. Do you think it's true?
I don't know what to think.
[sighs] Okay, what about the evening news? What's the plan?
Joshua's covering.
But not permanently.
Listen, if you're gonna pick up somebody from TMS, like Chris or Yanko,
I'd appreciate the heads-up. It's crazy enough as it is.
You wanna sit down for a sec?
After Friday, we may not need a permanent news anchor.
What do you mean he's breaking it up? You gotta be fucking kidding me.
Yeah, fuck it. Let's give Paul Marks fucking color bars.
That's right, yeah. No more TMS. Yeah, we'll stage a walkout.
I don't know. This is a big story, Yanko. [scoffs]
Chris, so what? Then we'll slip it to YDA, and we do the walkout.
- [Rena] It's not that simple. - This is our story to tell.
We should do the show.
We don't have enough to run anything.
Bradley was working the Hyperion angle before she resigned.
Our whistleblower went AWOL.
Literally no one will go on the record.
Stella's right. Trash-talking Paul Marks is not even gonna make Twitter, so--
Who cares about Paul Marks?
The 20,000 employees at UBA deserve to know what's at stake in this board vote.
If the lights are going out, we need to talk about what that means for them.
For us.
Yeah, we'd need something loud though.
The right guest.
Someone who has nothing to lose.
Okay.
[Cory] This is why they hate us.
Ninety million gallons of water a year on this shit.
[Reed] They let you join this place?
Oh, no, I'd never pass the background check.
I was arrested protesting CFCs in the '80s.
- Clothing-optional. - [Reed chuckles]
But we made our point. You see the ozone layer?
Yeah, then you're trespassing.
[Cory chuckles]
And how exactly did you find me?
You're a creature of habit, Reed.
And you're toxic, Cory. Full-on radioactive.
[Cory] That's exactly what Paul Marks wants you to think,
because he would lose his fucking mind if he knew what I came here to say.
[inhales sharply] Guys, give me a minute?
- Sure. - [person] Sure.
- [Sahil speaks indistinctly] - [person] Yeah.
[Sahil, person speak indistinctly]
Paul may not have the votes.
There are rumors of major problems at Hyperion,
and our shareholders are getting jumpy.
So you're looking for another buyer?
I am looking for a loan.
You know, like that eight billion you were gonna give me a few weeks ago.
That's the security blanket our key investors need
to defect to our side.
Yeah, sorry, that loan's off the table.
I figured as much.
So, I'm happy to sweeten the deal.
We will give Sloan a piece of UBA's equity.
You won't even know how to spend that much money.
[clicks tongue] I don't know.
When someone has smallpox, I don't really wanna share their blanket.
Hmm. Your buddy, Fred, seems to think the deal is worth the trouble.
He's advising Hyperion on the breakup value of UBA's assets
and getting a serious payout for his trouble.
[inhales sharply] Sounds like he's forgetting who his friends are.
Mmm.
Well, whip some votes, Cory. [sighs]
And maybe I'll write you that check.
[knocking]
Bradley, I am not leaving until you open the door and I talk to you,
and I know that you're okay.
[sighs]
Bradley.
[sighs]
Oh, thank God. [sighs] Can I please come in?
You have to leave your bag in the hall.
- What? - You can't come in
unless you leave your bag in the hall.
Okay. Okay.
And that.
Okay.
[Alex exhales sharply]
- Okay. Come on. - Okay.
Did you lie to the FBI?
Oh, fuck, Bradley!
I didn't have a choice. He's my brother.
Of course you did! You have a choice. You always have a choice!
No, I fucking didn't, Alex!
He's my only family. How could I do that to him?
Could you do that to Lizzy?
I could've helped you. I could've helped you. We--
- We could've helped you. - Who? You-You-You and Paul?
I tried to warn you about him.
I tried t-- to tell you, but you did not wanna hear it.
What the hell does Paul have to do with any of this?
How did he know, Alex? How did he know?
You're a journalist. How the fuck did he know about me and Hal?
There are hours-- Hundreds of hours of footage of that day.
You really thought-- You thought no one would figure this out?
Somebody did figure it out. Laura figured it out.
- Okay. - When Paul came to talk to me,
he knew that Laura had already confronted me.
He knew exactly what she had said.
And we-- we were in a private space. We were at her house.
There was nobody else there.
How did he know?
How is that possible?
How the fuck did he know what she said? [breathes sharply]
So you think he's surveilling you?
I think he's been surveilling me.
Ever since he found out I was investigating him.
And I don't know if he's on my phone, I-I don't know if he's on my computer,
but he has eyes on me. It is very clear.
Oh, that's a really big leap, Bradley.
You have to stop this sale.
You have to, Alex.
Even if you have proof, what am I gonna do?
How do I stop this sale?
I don't know. You're fucking smart. You're gonna figure it out.
Talk to Stella. She-She-She started this.
She started pulling threads, and there's something there, Alex.
There's something there.
But I-I gotta get out of here. I gotta go to West Virginia.
I gotta get the fuck out of town.
- Slow down. Just slow down. - I have to hide.
You can't just leave, okay? Just slow down.
- Do you know what he said to me, Alex? - [sighs] No. God, no.
He told me he would destroy her life.
He said he would ruin Laura's career.
I can't let that happen.
I won't let that happen.
[sighs]
[cell phone buzzes]
[Alex sighs]
Ms. Levy, you ready to head home, or should I keep driving?
Um, could you just keep driving, please?
[sighs] Okay.
[elevator doors open]
- [Paul] Hey. There you are. - Hi.
- I was starting to get worried. - I'm sorry.
- [groans] Mmm. - [sighs] Mmm.
How was your day?
[inhales deeply] Great. You know,
a succession of lawyers like Russian nesting dolls in Brooks Brothers suits.
[grunts]
Ho-How was yours? You holding up?
I saw Bradley.
- Oh. - [sighs]
How is she?
Pretty fucked up.
She did not sound like herself. Really manic.
That's... [sighs] ...grim.
Yeah.
What, um-- [sighs] What was she saying?
Nothing.
You know, it was more how sh-- It's more how she sounded.
You know, I think she just knows that there's no coming back from what she did.
[inhales deeply] Yeah.
I just really want this part to be over, you know?
Just so much pressure with this deal
and everybody just wanting to, like, tear it down.
We will get through this part. [sighs]
And then when we are on the other side of this,
it will be a whole lot better.
I just really wish there was something I could do for her, you know?
Well, she's gonna have to start doing some things for herself.
Mm-hmm. I know.
But I think there's still such a thing as a second chance.
Sometimes. [scoffs]
Yeah. Well, I think she just has to disappear, you know?
- [groans] - Go back to Hanover
and just hide out until all this blows over. [sighs]
So are we, uh, still doing dinner or has that ship sailed?
You know, um, I'm so tired.
The day's really caught up with me.
Do you mind if we order in?
No, it's fine. Whatever you want.
Okay. Just choose anything.
- I'm gonna, um, go change. Be right out. - Okay.
["Lazarus" playing]
[groans, sighing]
[Yanko] I know. I get it. I gotta see it, all right?
I know I'm the last guy on earth who hasn't seen it--
[Chris] It's Tom Cruise in a fighter jet.
- I want another sequel... - [Yanko scoffs]
...and then one after that.
I don't care how old he gets. You can strap his walker into the cockpit.
Yeah, right. And he'd still make that look good, wouldn't he?
- You better believe it. [laughs] - Yeah.
And now we have a very special guest
here to discuss the imminent sale of UBA to Hyperion CEO Paul Marks.
- [breathes shakily] Okay. Oh, shit. - [Yanko] Charles "Chip" Black.
Emmy winner and-- [stammers] Oh, there he is.
Chip, former executive producer here at-at UBA.
- Chip, welcome to TMS. - Hi. Hi.
Or I guess I should say welcome back, right?
Yeah, hi-- hi, guys. Uh, thanks for-- thanks for having me.
Yeah. No, of course. Of course.
So, Chip, you've seen this network go through so many changes over the years.
Why do you feel compelled to-to talk about this one today?
Uh, because three years ago I made a huge mistake.
Um, I waited too long to speak up about Mitch Kessler.
Um, I knew what he was doing.
I mean, I didn't-- Not the-- Not the extent, not all of it--
But, um, I had a sense of it. [breathes shakily]
Maybe if I had said something earlier, uh, fewer people would have been hurt.
And, um, I really screwed that up.
[crew] Stay on one.
[Chris] You've recently been let go from your job here.
Yeah.
So why should we listen to what you have to say?
Because this has absolutely nothing to do with me.
This is about UBA and people need to know what's about to happen to this place.
- You mean the sale to Paul Marks? - Nope. I mean the end of UBA.
Here we go.
Paul Marks is going to dismantle this place. Literally.
If the shareholders vote yes on the sale tomorrow,
this whole network, it will cease to exist.
All of it, just-just-just gone.
Th-These two people, the show, everybody here,
it's just gonna be sucked into a giant fucking black void and--
- Wow. Okay. - Sorry, sorry.
Chip, really?
Watch the language. I think it would help to make your case without having to--
[stuttering] You're right.
Mia, I'm sorry about that. I will pay the 10K FCC fine.
- [Chris] Okay, Chip, how do you know this? - [crew] Take two.
You know, the rumor mill can get pretty crazy around deals like these.
Mm-hmm. It's because it's been confirmed by multiple sources.
That is what we do here. We fact-check.
When Yanko and Chris are telling you guys what's happening in the world,
that's because dozens of people-- people you never see-- made it possible.
It's a whole process, okay?
Uh, look, there's somebody on the national news desk--
They're eating way too much junk food, they get an alert,
it's, uh, "shots fired" or something like that.
They call the local sheriff's office to confirm it.
Only when it's confirmed do they put out a news alert on a Slack channel.
This is all, like, 3:00 in the morning, by the way.
The producers, they start writing the scripts.
Chris gets in here ridiculously early
because she needs to review and rewrite her copy
because she cares about getting it right. Which Twitter does not do.
And by the way, no problem with Twitter, okay?
I-It's got its place. But that is narrowcasting.
We need broadcasting, as-as corporate and as compromised as it is.
We need a team of competent people telling us
what's actually happening in the world.
I mean, this is-- this is it. This is the last free campfire in America.
And if this goes out we're all gonna be
-in the fucking dark, people. - Oh, man.
And w-- Sorry, I--
- [crew] Stay with Chip. - [Chip groans]
No. No. You know what, fuck that.
- [Rena sighs] - I'm not sorry.
Hey, Paul, you wanna nuke this place? Fine.
You pay the fucking FCC obscenity fines.
You are killing an 80-year-old company
that started as a radio station warning people about the dangers of fascism.
And you do not fucking care. So fuck you, motherfucker!
Fuck you and the fucking rocket you rode in on.
Which, by the way, looks like a giant fucking metal dick!
Former Morning Show producer Charles Black broke the Internet,
not to mention major news, when he announced live on-air
that billionaire Paul Marks plans to liquidate UBA
following Friday's shareholder vote on the sale.
And in an age where there's literally a new billionaire every single day,
Black's R-rated, populist rant struck a nerve across the political spectrum.
Woke cheerleader, AOC, tweeted that Black was, quote, "baller."
And even Senator Ted Cruz called for Congress to investigate Marks' bid
for the legacy media giant.
A little Howard Beale goes a long way.
Who knew Chip Black's f-bombs would save the day?
[Cybil] Two major shareholders called me an hour ago.
They said the payout wasn't worth all the bad press.
They're voting no.
[sighs] I used to hate no. Now I love it!
[Cybil] Yeah. Mercedes is still on the fence though.
She's concerned about the financial implications of rejecting Paul's bid.
Tell her we just shook down my favorite golf buddy for eight billion.
So Reed came through?
What did you promise him?
Well, let's just say you might have to sell a Picasso.
- Cory-- - [Cory] Cybil, this is fun.
We're gonna kill a billionaire.
[Cybil] Yeah, I'm hanging up now.
[Amanda] Board members are starting to turn.
Paul, this is happening.
We're losing votes.
Cory fucking Ellison.
[Cory] Compile the paperwork for the loan.
Don't even touch a UBA computer.
No emails, no pdfs. This has to be analog.
Then deliver it to my hotel.
Reed and I are meeting tonight.
Got it.
After that, you and I, we don't talk until after the vote.
No calls. Nothing.
And we keep playing dead.
I want Paul Marks to fall off his fucking chair
when I walk into that boardroom on Friday.
Ah. [sighs] Thank you.
Sure.
So have you, um, talked to her?
No, not since her little on-air spectacle.
She's so full of shit.
Oof.
[stammers] If she asked you to come here to talk to me, I--
Mmm, she didn't.
But she did tell me about, um, January 6th and Hal. All of it.
- Wow. So now she's coming clean? - [inhales deeply]
She feels really awful.
[sighs]
You know, Bradley is, um, a stranger.
I see that now.
I never knew her. Not really.
I just wanted to.
Ugh. This is all just fucked up. [chuckles]
It's all such a mess.
This isn't just about Bradley, is it?
Well... [sighs]
- I mean, I-I saw Chip's rant. - Oh.
So, what, is this about Paul? Or selling UBA?
I-It's--
Listen, if he had bought NBN,
I'm sure he'd probably be doing the same thing to us.
I mean, you're in the middle of the ocean treading water
and some guy comes in a lifeboat.
What are you gonna do? Turn him away?
I know.
Okay, I-- That's actually what I'm here to talk to you about.
Okay.
But I'm gonna need something a little stronger than this.
I'll take that drink that you offered, please.
- Thank you. [sighs] - Coming up.
Good to see you again, Mr. Ellison. We missed you during the pandemic.
- [chuckles] - Right this way.
The last civilized spot in Manhattan.
Thanks for arranging this on such short notice.
We'll make sure you're not disturbed.
Would you like a menu? We're serving till 11:00.
[Paul] That won't be necessary.
Don't think this meeting's gonna take very long.
[maître d'] Can I bring either of you gentlemen a drink?
Talisker neat.
Uh... [stammers] ...yeah. Uh, make it two.
Huh.
So, was it Earl?
Gambling debts.
Everybody leaves some kind of stain. [sighs]
And, um, Reed?
I'm guessing you whispered sweet nothings about asteroid rights--
Reed realized that the profit potential in aerospace far outstripped
whatever Sloan could make in legacy media.
Ad astra per aspera. To infinity and beyond.
Or whatever other bullshit helps you sleep at night.
- Thanks. - This isn't personal, Cory.
I'm gonna have to disagree with you there because everything is personal.
And every so-called business decision, it lands on a human being.
And in this case, there's 22,000 of them all--
Okay. Okay, let's not get so high-and-mighty.
Maybe you protected Bradley from the FBI,
but you were also very willing to exploit her personal life when it suited you.
So maybe you're not the poster boy for feminism that you think you are.
Didn't leak that article to protect Hannah Shoenfeld.
You leaked it because you couldn't stand the idea of Bradley with Laura Peterson.
So at least, for fuck's sake, be honest with yourself.
Now, you never assaulted anyone.
So tomorrow, after the vote closes,
I'm perfectly happy to... [inhales deeply] ...make the... [sighs]
...investigation into these Vault allegations go away.
Along with any talk of FBI subpoenas.
And, uh, I'm guessing in this scenario I give up my golden parachute?
You wanna leave with dignity?
- How's $10 million sound? Parting gift. - [sighs]
I'll just need an NDA.
Right. Guessing the kind where I can't even say your name to my goldfish.
Where we pretend in perpetuity that you aren't
the steaming rocket bitch shitbag that you are.
Goddamn, Alex really does have the worst taste in men.
Cory, I am offering you a lifeline.
- Take the money. - [sighs]
I would rather do time with the fucking Oath Keepers than take a penny from you.
[clicks tongue] Lost my appetite. [sighs]
[sighs]
[Cory] So the board meeting is tomorrow.
And the remaining shareholders who haven't weighed in are gonna vote yes.
And by noon, Paul will have control of UBA
and he will take it apart piece by piece.
Eighty years of history.
But more stuff is going to come out about me.
And it is gonna make me look like a monster.
Some of it will be true.
Some of it won't be. Doesn't matter.
He's gonna try to bury me.
[stammers, sighs]
[chuckles] Maybe I should have listened to you.
Ah. Maybe I deserve it.
Maybe I lost myself in chasing all of this.
Anyway, I just wanted you to hear it from me.
"Don't flinch." It's what you always taught me, right?
Gotta face things head-on, see 'em for what they are.
[inhales deeply]
[sighs]
Night, Mom.
[cell phone buzzes]
[groans] What's going on?
- Is the world ending? - Mmm, not yet.
- [breathes deeply] - It's all good.
You getting any sleep?
Not really. Such a big day tomorrow.
Hmm. I'm glad you're gonna be there.
[kisses]
[groans]
[breathing deeply]
[Leonard] So, the great day is finally upon us.
[sighs] 11:40.
There's still a few votes coming through,
but frankly, at this point, it's a formality.
Congratulations, Paul. At noon we'll make it official.
- Thank you, appreciate the support. - Where's-Where's Alex?
Uh, she should be on her way.
[elevator dings]
Hey. There you are.
Hi, here I am.
- Are you okay? - Yeah.
Just processing everything that's about to happen, how we got here. [chuckles]
Just really hope it was all worth it.
It will be. In 15 minutes, this will all be behind us.
Mmm.
Okay, gentlemen. Here we are.
[Leonard] Ah, Alex.
Hello. Good to see you.
Leonard.
Well, we're close to the finish line and we couldn't have got there without you.
Hmm. Excuse me.
Uh, Paul, before I forget, um...
[exhales deeply]
While we have a few minutes, I have an idea I'd like to run by everybody.
[Paul] Oh, uh, maybe we save the brainstorming for another day?
Let's just get this done.
I have an alternative to Hyperion's offer.
- [board member] What is going on? - Excuse me?
[board members murmuring]
I've been consulting with NBN,
their CEO Elena Daniels, Laura Peterson at YDA.
And we have drafted a few deal points for a merger between NBN and UBA.
I have a prospectus that I would like to share so you could all see the numbers.
Would you please pass those down there, please? Thank you so much.
And I'm very aware that this is last minute.
Alex, I simply don't understand.
I don't think anyone here does.
I believe you have a fiduciary responsibility
to entertain any offers that may match or exceed Hyperion's.
Very well.
[pages turning]
A merger of equals.
That's what we're proposing.
Two entities coming together, greater than the sum of their parts.
NBN and UBA will combine resources to reduce costs,
ad sales, tech support,
accounting, even programming.
It's a chance to start over.
To do things right for once.
A true partnership.
Alex, I'd like a word.
I'll give you all a second to look this over.
What the fuck is that all about? This is insane. What are you--
Not here.
[stammers] What is this? Some kind of stunt?
This is not a stunt.
- What are you doing? - Not here.
I have the votes.
Don't you realize there's literally nothing you can do at this point?
Hi, Paul.
- Okay. [sighs] I'm not doing this. - [Kate sighs]
We know you told Kate to cut the transmission on the rocket launch
to hide the fact that your navigation system malfunctioned.
You buried the results.
You used a hack at UBA to cover your tracks.
Super convenient timing.
So you think I hacked you? Okay, Stella.
[Kate] You have been reporting fake data to NASA for months.
And when I told you a longer space flight could be lethal, you fired me.
You had us behind schedule and hemorrhaging cash.
That's why you were let go, because you were bad at your job.
No. No, you fired me because you didn't wanna hear the truth, Paul.
And then when I tried to blow the whistle,
you shut me down and you threatened me and everyone else who would speak up.
No, you were shut down because you signed an NDA
- which you have now clearly violated. - Well, I have proof. [sighs]
I have emails, I have files, I have videos, I have everything.
Alex, what do you want? What?
What do you want?
[sighs]
Alex, can you please just tell me what the fuck this is all about?
God. Do I really have to spell this out for you?
Yes! Please.
[scoffs] You surveilled Bradley, then blackmailed her into resigning.
You silenced a journalist.
- I'm a journalist. - You want this vote not to happen?
I can go right back in that conference room
and delay it until we can figure this out.
"We"? We can figure this out? We can figure this out?
You did this. You did all of this. I can't-- I can't come back from this.
I did this to protect you.
To protect us, everything we have been working towards.
[sniffles]
Just walk away from UBA right now.
And make it right with the people you hurt.
Come clean to NASA... [sighs]
...or we'll run the story and end Hyperion.
[sighs]
[scoffs]
Tell Leonard I'm pulling out of the deal.
You'll hear from my lawyers.
[sniffles]
[breathing shakily]
["Fallin'" playing]
- Come on, I've got it. - [Chris] Okay.
- Not bad. Whoo! - Whoo! Oh.
[song continues]
- [Chris] Wow. - [Yanko speaks indistinctly]
You got this...
Ooh! [giggles]
[Yanko] I mean, come on.
I mean, not-- not bad for a couple of desk jockeys, all right.
I mean, I gotta work on my moves
but next time we're gonna Naatu Naatu all over this place. We are.
We'll be right back. You were great.
- [newspeople chattering] - [chuckles]
- They are so good together. - So good. I know.
I'm doing everything I can to talk Chris out of leaving.
Oh, well. I don't blame her. I mean, the writing is on the wall.
This merger goes through, there's not gonna be two CEOs,
two evening anchors, two Morning Shows.
There's gonna be layoffs and buyouts and--
Okay.
You're not thinking about going anywhere, are you?
Uh, I would love a trip to Bali.
But... [sighs] ...not until I know my team is protected
and the changes that we talked about are real.
They are real.
I'm gonna make them real, Mia. It's happening, I can see it.
No more corporate bullshit.
Someone with an actual fresh take sitting in the big office.
Like you?
[both chuckle]
[interviewer] Can you talk about your time at the Archer Gray?
Mr. Ellison put you up there. Is that correct?
Uh, yes. I mean, I don't know if he did or the show.
I'm not sure.
Did it make you uncomfortable? Being so close to Mr. Ellison?
- No. - Did you ever feel unsafe?
No.
[interviewer] But he was around, right?
I mean, the hotel staff told us he spent a lot of time with you.
Late night phone calls, visited you in your room.
Did you ever sense he had feelings for you?
Saw you as more than a colleague?
There was one night. [sighs]
[stammers] One night when...
He told me he loved me.
How did you respond?
I left. I went to Montana, and I stayed there for a long time.
[interviewer] Because you were afraid?
Yes, I w-- I was afraid.
Of retaliation if you didn't return his feelings?
No. No, I was afraid because...
he saw me for who I really was.
Everything about me.
And I was afraid I could never be with someone like that.
[door opens]
[sighs]
[door opens]
Hey.
God, who scheduled these sessions back-to-back and side by side?
I don't know. I already talked to them.
I'm just waiting to see if they need anything else.
Oh, gotcha.
Well, sorry that they dragged you back in here.
Hey, how was it being home?
Oh, uh, it was good. It was good to see Hal, you know.
So, um, I did some pretty awful things.
And some of them I did to you.
It wasn't okay. Any of it.
No, it's not.
But I think I know why you did them.
But it's not all right.
I know.
But don't worry, I-- I think you'll be fine. [chuckles]
Well, I'm still the architect of the biggest failed deal
of the 21st century, so...
Biggest failed deal so far.
Hey, that's the spirit.
[chuckles]
Will you stay at UBA or UBNBA or whatever they're calling it?
Oh, I don't know. I guess we'll see how things shake out.
[chuckles]
[inhales deeply]
Uh...
[inhales sharply]
[sighs] See you when I see you?
Yeah.
- [sighs] - Cory.
Yeah?
Bradley, we're ready for you.
Oh, I'll be just a minute.
[door closes]
I'll miss you.
[softly] You too.
[sniffles]
["With the Old Breed" playing]
Little chilly tonight, huh?
Thanks for packing me up.
Yes, of course.
I think, um, that was everything, but please look around if--
I'm sure you got it all.
So you're, um, gonna go to Texas?
Yeah. Not sure how it's gonna play out.
[stammers] NASA seems to be stepping back for the time being.
And... [sighs]
...most likely have to sell off a majority share in my company,
if there's a company to still sell.
[sighs]
[inhales sharply]
You know, I've been playing it back in my head.
Everything that went down.
I made some, um, mistakes.
More than mistakes.
Yeah, I know.
[sniffles] Oh, God, I so-- I wanted a partner.
You had one.
[sighs] One I could trust. [sniffles]
Mmm. [sighs]
Alex, I--
[sniffles, whimpers, sighs]
[Paul sighs]
God, I wish we'd taken that helicopter anywhere else.
[sighs, chuckles]
I know.
But we didn't. So... [breathes shakily]
[sighs]
[sniffling]
[Alex breathes shakily, sighs]
[breathes shakily, cries] Shoot.
[sniffles]
[sighs]
[Alex] Remaking this place. Just, doing it without you feels wrong.
[Bradley] Hey. You can. This is what you've always advocated for.
You're gonna have a real voice in this new company.
Careful what you fight for.
- [chuckles] Like-- - [sighs]
- When you dragged me into UBA? - [chuckles]
God, what would I have done if you didn't come in
- and take the doors off the hinges? - [chuckles]
Honestly, I would've been still fighting with that fucker, Fred.
- [chuckles] - Cybil. Geez. Maggie.
I'd still be doing... [chuckles] ...one-man-band reporting
in God knows where, wondering if that's all there was.
- [chuckles] Oh. [sighs] - [chuckles]
Hey, I-- I wanted to, um-- I just wanted to say, about Paul--
Oh, please. Honey, I'm so okay. Really.
He helped me let go of a lot of stuff.
- Then no regrets. - No. No regrets.
[sighs] Okay.
Okay, honey. You're just gonna breathe now, okay?
Yeah, I'm trying. I just don't know how this is gonna go.
[Alex] You're doing the right thing. You're doing the only thing.
Hey, I'll-- I'll be right there.
[sighs]
Okay, I better go before I change my mind.
I'm here for you if you need anything. Anything at all.
- And you're gonna be okay. - I don't know.
Yes. [sniffles] You are.
[whimpers] Okay.
- [sniffles] You got this. - [stammers] Yeah, okay.
- Breathe. - Okay.
- Okay. Go on. - [breathes shakily]
["Three Little Birds" playing]
[mouths word] Bye.
[song continues]